5 Reasons Why Avatar: Fire And Ash Dominated The Box Office

James Cameron has done it again. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is helping to send 2025 out on a high note at the box office, as the third entry in the director's blockbuster sci-fi franchise topped the charts around the world on opening weekend. And while it opened on the lower end of expectations, that's all relative when we're talking about Cameron and an adventure on the distant world of Pandora.

"Fire and Ash" opened to $88 million domestically and $257 million internationally, making for a $345 million global start. Pre-release estimates had "Fire and Ash" pulling in closer to $100 million in North America. So, while the underperformance could be viewed as a disappointment on the surface, perspective is everything. This is still a monster opening, and with the Christmas holiday happening mid-week this year, it's set up for a giant week to come heading into the new year. This is truly just the beginning.

For context, 2022's "The Way of Water" opened to $441.7 million worldwide en route to $2.34 billion worldwide, giving Cameron his third $2 billion movie at the box office. That list also includes "Titanic" ($2.26 billion) and the first "Avatar" ($2.92 billion). He's got three of the four biggest films of all time to his name, with "Avatar" at the very top of the list.

So, what went right here? How did Cameron and Disney manage to deliver an exceedingly rare global opening of this size yet again? We're going to look at the five biggest reasons why "Avatar: Fire and Ash" dominated the box office during its opening weekend. Let's dive in.

The biggest reason why the "Avatar" movies have been such sensations from the start is purely because audiences have been so wowed by what's on screen that they feel the need to be loud about it, which drives attendance for weeks on end. "Fire and Ash" is no different, it seems, as the response from ticket buyers has been exceptional thus far, even if critics were slightly more mixed on Cameron's latest.

The movie holds a decent 67% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest for an "Avatar" movie to date. Audiences disagreed, though, as the film carries a damn good 91% audience rating to go with an A CinemaScore, which is right in line with the previous two movies. So, while critical opinion is important, particularly when it comes to the film's Oscar chances, general moviegoers are far more crucial to the equation here.

In his review of "Avatar: Fire and Ash" for /Film, Bill Bria hailed it as "the best one yet." So, even though this entry is slightly more divisive, many of the folks who are on board are effusively in its corner. This bodes very well for its chances in the weeks and months to come.

For anyone who might look at the lower-than-expected opening, relatively speaking, and think that could be in any way perceived as an issue, it's worth pointing out that the "Avatar" movies have always been leggier than the average blockbuster. The December release strategy allows them to play well into January and February. The original "Avatar" opened to just $77 million domestically in 2009 before going on one of the most amazing runs in history, finishing with $2.74 billion by the end of its original release. Re-releases have since pushed it beyond $2.9 billion.

Granted, that was in 2009-2010, which was a very different time. But "Way of Water" carved a similar path, also legging out after a $134.1 million domestic opening. It's built into the business model here, and given that January is exceptionally light on blockbusters, there's nothing stopping "Fire and Ash" until perhaps "Wuthering Heights" over Valentine's Day, particularly in light of the audience response.

Even with a decline, this movie is still poised to potentially be an all-time top 10 grosser when all's said and done. The opening was about 22% lower than "Way of Water." A 22% global decline would represent an over/under $1.8 billion global total for the sequel's total theatrical run. Even if it fails to leg out as well as the previous two movies, it's probably still going to land somewhere between "Jurassic World" ($1.67 billion worldwide) and "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" ($1.33 billion) on the very low end. At worst, it'll still be the second-biggest Hollywood movie of the year behind only "Zootopia 2" ($1.27 billion to date), even if it collapses in the coming months.

One of the keys to the success of this franchise from the very beginning is the fact that these movies have massive, outsized global appeal. "Avatar" made more than $2.1 billion (or about 72%) of its $2.92 billion global haul outside of North America. Similarly, "The Way of Water" did $1.65 billion of its business overseas, about 70% of its total.

In the early going, "Fire and Ash" is once again doing an outsized amount of business outside of the U.S., with nearly 75% of its global opening coming from overseas. That includes a massive $57 million in China, a record for an "Avatar" movie. Mind you, the vast majority of Hollywood movies have not been making money in China since 2020. That's something studios used to be able to depend on, but this franchise is bucking that trend.

There is often an over-emphasis on the domestic box office but it's always important to remember that Hollywood exists as part of a global theatrical marketplace. Case in point: "Ne Zha 2" is one of the biggest movies of 2025 with more than $2 billion to its name, with almost all of that coming from China and almost none of it coming from the U.S. Moviegoers around the world remain deeply invested in the "Avatar" universe.

In recent years, premium format screens such as IMAX have become more important than ever before. For the right movie, audiences will seek out these experiences and happily pay the premium for them. "Avatar: Fire and Ash," for a large portion of the audience, was the right movie.

"Fire and Ash" made $43.6 million in IMAX globally over the weekend, representing more than 12% of the total gross despite only making up around 1% of the total screen count. It's also very important to point out that while IMAX is the biggest, most well-known name in the premium format game, there are other players in this space. Dolby Cinema has been making a lot of headway in recent years, for example. There's also Cinemark XD, 4DX, and D-Box, among others.

When all of that is taken into account, we're talking about a massive chunk of this movie's total box office, especially when factoring in the percentage of overall screen count. These tickets are more expensive, but the sheer spectacle on offer justifies the price tag for many. This is viewed as more than just a movie for a lot of people. It's a true experience, and that's driving a lot of revenue.

Not to be left out of the conversation is the sheer, unmatched power of James Cameron as a filmmaker who knows how to tap into what audiences want. From his earliest hits like "The Terminator" to his blockbuster sequel "Aliens" and monster originals like "True Lies," he's been doing this for decades. Over and over again, he's defied the odds to deliver monster blockbusters that nobody could see coming. Mind you, "Titanic" made $2 billion at a time when very, very few movies ever made close to even $1 billion.

So, when it comes to "Fire and Ash" posting the second-biggest global opening for a Hollywood movie in 2025 behind only the animated "Zootopia 2" ($560 million), Cameron is the biggest factor to consider. "Avatar" wasn't a franchise until he made it a franchise. It was his original idea that spawned an absolute beast.

Granted, that all comes at a cost. "Fire and Ash" has a budget in the $400 million range, making it one of the most expensive movies ever produced. For most films, a budget like that is a death sentence. The list of directors who warrant such investment is very, very small. Arguably, there is just one name on that list. Whether or not there is enough gas left in the tank to confidently justify "Avatar 4" and "Avatar 5" is another conversation entirely, but if we've learned anything, it's never to bet against James Cameron.

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is in theaters now.